MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Former ALGOP chair John Wahl has debuted his first television ad in his bid to be Alabama’s next lieutenant governor.
A spokesperson for the Wahl campaign said the ad is running statewide on broadcast and digital statewide with a $250,000 ad buy. The ad started on March 16 and will run until April 3.
The 30-second spot centers around President Donald Trump’s support of Wahl and includes sound bites of the president supporting Wahl.
Trump endorsed Wahl in January just before the candidate qualification deadline, shaking up the race and propelling Wahl into the contest.
“Should he decide to enter this Race, John Wahl has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JOHN, RUN!” Trump said in a January Truth Social post.
The ad features other comments from Trump, including another social media post calling Wahl “a true MAGA warrior and America First Patriot.”
“I am honored to have President Trump’s complete and total endorsement,” Wahl in a press release announcing the ad. “Alabama doesn’t need another career politician—it needs a fighter. I’ve taken on the radical left before and delivered real results, and I’ll do the same as your next lieutenant governor.”
Wahl will face off with six other candidates in the Republican primary, one of the most crowded races on the May ballot.
Secretary of State Wes Allen and Wahl are the two leaders in fundraising in the race, according to the most recent campaign finance data available.
Allen, who entered the race in February 2025, has raised $1.34 million, while Wahl has brought in $1.28 million since joining almost one year after Allen.
As of the end of February, the biggest spenders are Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate at $168,000 and Allen at $159,000. Wahl’s $250,000 spend on the ad buy will dwarf the $24,000 he had spent as of the end of last month.
Other Republicans on the ticket are minister and veteran Patrick Bishop, businesswoman Nicole Jones Wadsworth, community advocate George Childress and physician Stewart Hill Tankersley.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, and businessman Darryl Perryman will face off to earn the Democratic nomination.
The primary is May 19.